The present invention relates to treating cooked meat and to a method for removing free, unbound water to avoid visible fluid drip formation in a package containing the meat.
In the manufacture and packaging of cooked meats, a significant problem, particularly with ham meats, is leakage of fluids, in particular free water, from the meat into the package since, it is believed, protein denaturation during cooking reduces the water and fluid holding capacity of the meat. Thus, all of the water contained in a cooked ham, for example, is not bound or immobilized in the product, and if this free unbound water is not allowed to escape or is not somehow removed before packaging, it appears as visible drip in the package. Generally, when the drip exceeds about 0.3% by weight of the total weight of the product, depending, of course, on the package size and measuring method, the visual perception of the product is severely impaired, particularly when marketed in transparent gas-packed packages.
In spite of attempts to increase the water-holding capacity of ham, which include means such as the use only of high quality ham having a pH of from 5.7 to 6.1, or by attempting to effect good salt distribution, efficient tumbling with an injection brine to distribute the brine in the meat, and/or provide optimum thermal treatment, the drip problem is not necessarily reduced. Thus, many packaged products have contained a fluid absorbent material in the package to absorb and contain the drip, which itself is not aesthetically desirable. It also is possible to add polyphosphates, citrates, proteins or carbohydrates to an injection brine to improve the water holding capacity of the product, but such components are either not permitted by food legislation in many countries or they are not desired in high quality meat products marketed as "pure" products.